TVNZ is expanding its kids' programming to help keep them entertained during the four-week lockdown.

From Monday TVNZ 2 is ramping up the hours it dedicates to children programmes. Kids shows will start nice and early at 6.30am and run through to 10.30am weekday mornings before reverting to the station's usual content. At 3pm the kids programming resumes with Les Mills Born To Move, a new workout show designed for young children and teens, and runs to 4.30pm.

Filling the gap is the newly created Duke Jr. which launches on Monday and is designed to cover the break-in TVNZ 2's children's shows. Duke Jr. is on Freeview 13 and Sky 23.

Both stations will screen local and international children's shows that are suitable for a range of age groups, such as Littlest Pet Shop and Be Cool Scooby-Doo on TVNZ 2 and the superb Terry Teo remake, Marvels Ultimate Spider-man and Marvel's Avengers: Ultron Revolution on Duke Jr.

"The schedule change acknowledges the nationwide school closures due to Covid-19 and the need for appropriate content on-screen with Kiwi kids based at home over the coming weeks," TVNZ said.

These changes sit alongside the children's show on its streaming platform TVNZ OnDemand and all the shows on TVNZ and NZ on Air's kid-focused, free streaming platform HEIHEI.

This article was first published on the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.